Stop Steelers schoolyard recess

Matt ChathamFriday, November 01, 2013

Credit: AP

HARD TO HOLD: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is never easy to bring down.

The Steelers have scored 17.9 points per game through seven games. I won’t spin that Pittsburgh is a highly proficient offense overall, but they can beat you if you don’t understand and control certain aspects of their game.

The Steelers have their most success when taking advantage of defensive breakdowns from extended and/or quick-play chaos. This week, I’ll be watching to see if the Patriots defense plays principled, assignment defense — the approach necessary to prevent a breakout of schoolyard recess.

There are plenty of talented skill players on this Steelers offense, but the common thread is improvisational skills and run-after-catch ability. For all the first-window opportunities Ben Roethlisberger misses in the passing game, his ability to keep plays alive is still second to none. His strength and short-space elusiveness in the pocket is unbelievable, and his arm strength doesn’t fade much when throwing from weird angles.

Much as we discussed the importance of rush lane distribution against Geno Smith and Ryan Tannehill, it’s equally critical against Big Ben — but for different reasons. Roethlisberger is less likely to take off and scramble. His escapability extends drop-back passing plays, allowing receivers to go into “recess mode” — just run around and get open.

The test for rushers is to get Big Ben on the ground — although he’s been sacked an alarming 26 times, so it’s a doable task. That stat reads “protection issues” — which is part of it — but Ben frequently chooses to keep plays alive for downfield options where an incompletion or shorter dump-off would be safer. The backs are often involved in the protection, meaning the pressure outlet isn’t always there by virtue of play design.

One thing that jumps out on film is rushers who have the best success getting Ben down “grab cloth” — not just tackling with a head-and-shoulder blow or wrapping around the core or legs, but also securing the handfuls of jersey that Roethlisberger’s wardrobe choice provides. Every player in the NFL has the opportunity to secure their jersey against their pads with double-sided tape. Choosing a looser jersey and not taping your pads provides a quarterback a less restricted feel for their throwing motion, but it also provides fabric handles for sackers.

There are a number of examples on film of Roethlisberger making the deft move to sidestep a rusher, but not being able to extend the play as long as he’d like because of a jersey grab that pulls a rusher back into the play. The “How-To” is easy to write, but far less-so to do. That said, it would be a mistake to not take advantage of both the play-style and garment choice Big Ben offers.

The test for the coverage portion of the defense is to “win with their eyes” — a huge mental discipline challenge. Watching Ben dance can be entertaining, but it’s impossible to do that and watch your coverage. Much of their receivers’ success comes from “uncovering” — or acknowledging that Ben has abandoned the original play call and entered “get open” mode.

Wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown and Jerricho Cotchery all are very quick, creative and adept at run-after-the-catch. This is also shown in the deliberate scheme efforts to get the ball in each of their hands through look-passes, multiple screen variations and gadget plays to provide sparks for an offense that struggles to move the ball end-to-end. Because of this, the premium this week for the Patriots is on immediate play recognition and sure-tackling in the secondary.

The Steelers can beat you if you’re lulled into a game of recess. They’ll struggle if you don’t allow that to happen.

Matt Chatham is a former linebacker and special teams player for the Patriots and New York Jets. He writes his Chatham Report every week in the Herald. Follow him on Twitter @chatham58.